Centre will extend all assistance to Karnataka, says CM Yediyurappa
Bengaluru: The Central government has assured to extend all assistance to Karnataka to deal with the situation arising out of severe floods and incessant rains in parts of the State, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa said on Friday.
"I am in constant touch with the Central government", Yeddyurappa told reporters at Mudhol in Bagalkot district, where he interacted with the flood-affected people and later undertook an aerial survey.
He said the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh have been briefed on the rescue and relief efforts in Karnataka.
"The Centre will extend all assistance... from financial point of view... they have also assured to help in other means," the Chief Minister said.
As per the last count, nearly 44,000 people have been evacuated from flood-hit and rain-affected areas of Karnataka, where the rain fury has left nine people dead in the past few days.
The worst-hit was Belagavi district, where six people have lost their lives while 40,180 people have been evacuated by rescue teams comprising Fire and Emergency department, State Disaster Response Force, National Disaster Response Force and Army.
The floods and rains have left a trail of destruction in vast areas of north, coastal and Malnad districts of the state.
Besides Belagavi, other affected districts include Bagalkot, Vijayapura, Raichur, Yadgiri, Uttara Kannada, Dakshina Kannada, Shivamogga, Kodagu and Chikmagalur.
"Definitely not", Yediyurappa responded when asked if he "felt lonely" in dealing with the flood and rain situation as he is running a one-man Ministry.
Yediyurappa, who was sworn in as Chief Minister on July 26 but is yet to expand his Cabinet, said legislators and MPs are supporting him and giving him strength, adding, they were working hard in relief efforts.
Meanwhile, former Chief Minister and JDS leader H D Kumaraswamy announced that all legislators of his party would donate one month's salary for relief works in north Karnataka, reeling under the floods.
Kumaraswamy said he was not able to visit floot-hit areas as he was down with fever, adding, he would tour the region in a day or two.
Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President Dinesh Gundu Rao has requested the Prime Minister to declare the flood situation in Karnataka as a national calamity and release Rs 5,000 crore special grant immediately.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
